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Career Advice for Job Seekers

Interview with an Electrician

William Frierson AvatarWilliam Frierson
March 13, 2012


I am an electrical supervisor for a leading construction company. I have 3 years of experience in this position.

My job duties revolve around making sure that my employees are following the correct state and city codes at all times. Installing electrical wiring into new structures and commercial buildings is hard work, and it is essential to have a leader helping the team stay focused. The only real misconception around what a supervisor does for a living is that he does nothing of real value. I am constantly on the go. I have to be ready for anything to happen on the job.

If I had to rate my job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a solid score of 8. I have worked in other fields over the last decade, but electrical work has been the most rewarding. My score only falls a few points short of perfect because of the high levels of stress associated with the position. There is nothing that can be done to prevent that, however.

This job is extremely rewarding. It does not leave me with enough time in the day for enjoyment of personal hobbies, but I knew that when I accepted the position. I love what I do for a living, and every day I walk onto the job site makes me feel like I have finally found my calling in life.

I studied for many years at a private trade school to get the knowledge that I use on the job today. There are a few people who have been able to land a job similar to mine without a specialized education, but it is a rare occurrence.

I got started in my current line of work because I hated working for minimum wage at my previous job. I made the choice of attending an excellent trade school, which was the best decision that I have ever made. There is nothing that I want to change, unless I could erase the number of years that it took me to realize what I wanted to do with my life.

The hardest lesson that I had to learn on the job was not to trust my employees when they claim to be doing the job correctly. I learned this when one of my workers told me that his team successfully installed a solar panel into a section of a building that was being prepped for green energy use. For reasons unknown to me at the time, I decided to examine my team’s work to make sure that the device was installed correctly. It turns out that they missed several crucial steps that would have made the panel malfunction immediately upon activation.

The single most noteworthy thing that I have learned about the professional environment away from school is to be alert at all times. Trusting my instincts always pays off on the job.

The strangest thing that has ever happened on the job took place a few years ago. An employee showed up to work once while under the influence of alcohol. His job required him to perform a wiring assignment that took place on the roof of a skyscraper. I sent him home immediately without pay for the rest of the day.

I get up and go to work each day because I love my job. My employees are some of the best professionals that I have ever dealt with in my career. They make me feel like part of the team, even though I am their boss. That is rare in this business.

I handle the challenge of supervising a large team of construction workers and electrical installers. This is something that always makes my job a little trickier than the average supervisory position. The attitude of my workers often makes me want to pull my hair out, although they are all brilliant employees.

People looking to get into my line of work can expect to make between 40k and 60k per year, depending on their geographical location and experience. I receive a handsome salary for the position that I hold.

Electrical supervisors do not have a lot of time to take vacations. I can usually get a week away from work each year, which is enough to unwind and forget about my job for a little while.

The best way to get a job in this field is to get an education at a respectable trade school and go from there. It is possible to substitute experience for education, but I do not recommend it.

If I could ever write my own ticket, I would still be doing what I am doing now. I love my job, and I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life.

This is a true story as told to LatPro.com, the worldwide leader in providing online employment resources for Hispanic and bilingual professionals. LatPro is the largest diversity employment site in the U.S. and the most complete personal career advancement service for Latino and bilingual professionals. Read the following interview with an Electrician and get started on your job search today.

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